These players, teams and prospects are standing out in the Iowa boys' basketball season

Central Elkader students rush the floor following a buzzer-beater shot by teammate Parker Smith in a junior-varsity game against West Central in Maynard on Tuesday night.
West Central Community Schools, Josh Bahr/Special to the Register

The Iowa boys' high school basketball regular season is about halfway through. Here are some players, teams and college prospects that have stood out thus far.

Most impressive team: Waukee

The Warriors started out ranked No. 3 in the Register's preseason Super 10 and entered Friday 9-0 with strong wins at Johnston and against West Des Moines Valley. Noah Hart continues to be one of the state's smartest point guards, and Upper Iowa recruit Dylan Jones is averaging 14.3 points and seven rebounds per game. Waukee gets it done on both ends of the floor, with the fifth-best offense in Class 4A and second-best defense.

North Scott entered Friday 11-0 with great wins over Bettendorf and Cedar Rapids Prairie. But its schedule hasn't been quite as tough, so the edge right now goes to the Warriors.

Most impressive player: D.J. Carton, Bettendorf

The five-star Ohio State point guard recruit has not disappointed in his senior season. Carton is averaging 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists for a Bettendorf squad that entered Friday at 10-1. Videos of his almost-daily thunderous dunks make their rounds on social media, but the attention he draws on the floor has helped his teammates thrive — and helped make the Bulldogs a legitimate title contender.

Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:

Most surprising team: Davenport Central

We'll keep the discussion over in the Quad Cities, as Davenport Central has surprised a lot of folks in Iowa with its 10-2 start. Remember: This is a Blue Devils group that went 5-16 last year — and lost its top scorer to graduation. But they returned almost every other major piece, and Keshawn Pegues (19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds per game) has enjoyed a monster year.

Most surprising player: Tucker DeVries, Waukee

DeVries, a 6-5 forward and son of Drake head coach Darian DeVries, is a big reason why Waukee has had such success this season. Before the year, we didn't know what to expect from DeVries. It was thought he'd at least need some time to adjust to the varsity level in Iowa. That wasn't the case. He plays older than his age and has been a spark off the bench for the Warriors, averaging 9.6 points, three boards and 2.2 assists per game. He's knocking down nearly 50 percent of his 3-pointers, too.

Favorites in each class

Class 4A: Waukee, North Scott, Iowa City West — A boring answer, yes, but one that feels accurate right now. The first two because they've looked the best. And then the Trojans because, well, they're the Trojans.

Class 3A: Oskaloosa, Pella, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Clear Lake, Maquoketa — Is it any surprise that 3A feels the most wide-open? Oskaloosa can be inconsistent, but with its talent, it has to be considered a favorite until it's eliminated. Pella and SB-L don't have spotless records like Clear Lake and Maquoketa, but they've played much tougher schedules.

Class 2A: North Linn — Different class, same dominance for the Lynx. Other schools, particularly Camanche and Treynor, are certainly contenders. But until proven otherwise, North Linn is in its own category.

Class 1A: Grand View Christian — With the amount of talent on its roster, the 1A title is GVC's to lose.

#13 Bowen Born drives the ball down the court during a 68-18 win over North Polk Monday night. The Warriors are slated to meet Dallas Center-Grimes Thursday at 7 p.m. in Norwalk in the next round of substate play. BRANDON BURNETT/For the Record-H, BRANDON BURNETT/For the Record-H

Dubuque Senior's Noah Carter goes up for a shot while being guarded by Pleasant Valley's Carter Milam during the Class 4A Iowa Boys' High School State Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Wednesday, March 9, 2016. Rachel Mummey/The Register

Bettendorf point guard D.J. Carton looks for a shot during a basketball game against Rock Falls in the Justin Sharp Memorial Shootout at Rock Island High School on Friday, June 22, 2018 in Rock Island, Illinois. Carton is entering his senior year at Bettendorf. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen

Bettendorf point guard D.J. Carton dunks during a basketball game against Rock Island in the Justin Sharp Memorial Shootout at Rock Falls High School on Friday, June 22, 2018 in Rock Island, Illinois. Carton is entering his senior year at Bettendorf. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen

Oskaloosa's Xavier Foster celebrates near the end of the IHSAA state basketball Class 3A quarterfinal game between Sergeant Bluff-Luton and Oskaloosa on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, in Wells Fargo Arena. Oskaloosa won the game, 63-47, to advance in the tournament. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Xavier Foster, a star sophomore at Oskaloosa High School, shown here Oct. 30, 2017, at the high school gym. Foster has become one of the nation’s most sought-after basketball prospects. The 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward is considered a consensus top-25 recruit in the 2020 class. He landed three Division I offers before his freshman season at Oskaloosa, and enters his sophomore year with at least two more. Rodney White/The Register

North High School's Tyreke Locure shoots the ball during opening night of the YMCA Capital City Men's Basketball League 2018 season on Sunday, June 17, 2018, at West Des Moines Valley High School. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Des Moines North junior Tyreke Locure, left, drives in to the basket as he is defended by Johnston's Camden Vander Zwaag, center, and Nathan Newcomb, right, on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018, at Ankeny High School in Ankeny. Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

Iowa City West's Patrick McCaffery celebrates after dunking the ball during the IHSAA state basketball Class 4A quarterfinal game between Muscatine and Iowa City West on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, in Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa City West won the game, 62-50, to advance to the semifinals. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Iowa City West's Patrick McCaffery dunks the ball during the IHSAA state basketball Class 4A quarterfinal game between Muscatine and Iowa City West on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, in Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa City West won the game, 62-50, to advance to the tournament semifinals. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Buy Photo

Oskaloosa's Xavier Foster celebrates near the end of the IHSAA state basketball Class 3A quarterfinal game between Sergeant Bluff-Luton and Oskaloosa on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, in Wells Fargo Arena. Oskaloosa won the game, 63-47, to advance in the tournament. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Xavier Foster, a star sophomore at Oskaloosa High School, shown here Oct. 30, 2017, at the high school gym. Foster has become one of the nation’s most sought-after basketball prospects. The 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward is considered a consensus top-25 recruit in the 2020 class. He landed three Division I offers before his freshman season at Oskaloosa, and enters his sophomore year with at least two more. Rodney White/The Register

Xavier Foster, a star sophomore at Oskaloosa High School, shown here Oct. 30, 2017, at the high school gym. Foster has become one of the nation’s most sought-after basketball prospects. The 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward is considered a consensus top-25 recruit in the 2020 class. He landed three Division I offers before his freshman season at Oskaloosa, and enters his sophomore year with at least two more. Rodney White/The Register

Xavier Foster, a star sophomore at Oskaloosa High School, shown here Oct. 30, 2017, at the high school gym. Foster has become one of the nation’s most sought-after basketball prospects. The 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward is considered a consensus top-25 recruit in the 2020 class. He landed three Division I offers before his freshman season at Oskaloosa, and enters his sophomore year with at least two more. Rodney White/The Register

Xavier Foster, a star sophomore at Oskaloosa High School, shown here Oct. 30, 2017, at the high school gym. Foster has become one of the nation’s most sought-after basketball prospects. The 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward is considered a consensus top-25 recruit in the 2020 class. He landed three Division I offers before his freshman season at Oskaloosa, and enters his sophomore year with at least two more. Rodney White/The Register

Xavier Foster, a star sophomore at Oskaloosa High School, shown here Oct. 30, 2017, at the high school gym. Foster has become one of the nation’s most sought-after basketball prospects. The 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward is considered a consensus top-25 recruit in the 2020 class. He landed three Division I offers before his freshman season at Oskaloosa, and enters his sophomore year with at least two more. Rodney White/The Register

Oskaloosa's Xavier Foster (34) goes after a ball after having it stripped by Glenwood's Andrew Blum (12) during the first half of their 3A state basketball championship game on Friday, March 9, 2018, in Des Moines. Brian Powers/The Register

Oskaloosa's Xavier Foster (34) is fouled by Glenwood's Christian Stanislav (35) during the first half of their 3A state basketball championship game on Friday, March 9, 2018, in Des Moines. Brian Powers/The Register

Oskaloosa's Xavier Foster dunks the ball during the IHSAA state basketball Class 3A quarterfinal game between Sergeant Bluff-Luton and Oskaloosa on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, in Wells Fargo Arena. Oskaloosa won the game, 63-47, to advance in the tournament. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Carlisle junior Collin Lister fights to get a shot over Oskaloosa sophomore Xavier Foster. Carlisle fell 61-48 to Oskaloosa in a Class 3A substate final played at Southeast Polk High School Feb. 26. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

Oskaloosa freshman Xavier Foster, 14, makes his way to the hoop for a dunk during a photo shoot on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016, in Oskaloosa. Foster is a 6-foot-9 basketball player who has already been visited by Iowa and Iowa State coaches. Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

Prospects who have helped their stock?

A couple come to mind ...

Nick Reid, G/F, 2020 (Central City): The 6-6 scorer has exploded this season, leading Iowa with 31.4 points per game to go along with 13.7 rebounds per game. Reid has picked up a Division II offer from Truman State, as well as interest from regional low-major Division I programs. Reid's example goes to show that high school performance can still matter when it comes to college basketball recruiting.

Michael Duax, G/F, 2021 (Dubuque Hempstead): A Nicholas Baer-like, do-it-all guy, Duax leads Hempstead with 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The 6-5 sophomore entered the season on mid- and high-major schools' radars, including Iowa's. His season will only strengthen his stock.

Early contenders for All-Iowa Player of the Year

We've already mentioned several. Carton, Locure, Reid, McCaffery, Carter and Henry are all up there. Pegues should be in the conversation, too.

North Linn's Jake Hilmer is definitely a strong contender. He's been one of the most dominant players in Iowa high school basketball history over the past few seasons. Beyond his ability to pile up points (Hilmer is at 24.8 points per game this year), he's also the state's all-time leader in assists — a record he broke last year — and steals — a record he broke this year.

Indianola guard Evan Gauger is scoring 25.5 points per game. Aidan Vanderloo has led Sioux City East to an undefeated record behind his 23.2 points per game.

Checking in on the CIML

Ankeny, Ames and Johnston have emerged as the schools to watch in the CIML-Central. In the CIML-Iowa, it's Waukee and Valley — with Marshalltown putting up some good numbers too. Then, in the CIML-Metro, Des Moines North and Des Moines Hoover have asserted themselves at the top. Now that North is back to full strength with Malik Allen playing, keep an eye on the Polar Bears.

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.